Grab The Flag!!

Last Saturday, while watching my six-year-old son play flag football…something amazing happened. First of all, you must know that we played him “up” because he is quite the athlete. (To his father’s credit) So my little guy is playing in the big league with 2nd and 3rd graders this fall. He is doing great! He is fast. He is catching balls a field’s length away. He is running in and out and around and down the field like a bolt of lightening that makes me go… “WOOOOOAAAAAAHHHHH!” Yeah. I’m kinda proud.

So as the game was unfolding into a heated challenge and the field was turning into a mini-battleground of little guys and girls facing off with a frenzied look of desperate lust for victory… this rather HUGE 3rd grader had the ball in hand running fast and furious down the field. He was on the other team. (I say this with utmost sarcasm, because quite frankly- I am for both teams always. I am the annoying mom that squeals with delight for a kid who runs a touchdown representing the other side. How can I not be so proud of him? Ridiculous. To. Me.)

This huge kid, I mean he has got to be about 6 feet tall weighing in at 237 pounds. Yes, this might be an exaggeration. But compared to my little skinny guy weighing in about 40 pounds plus a hair…the other boy is a GIANT to me. As he runs full force down the field, my miniature man goes flying toward him. The giant stumbles and ends up pummeling my baby head on with a nice steamroll slam. I do the mama thing: I hold my breath. I stare wide-eyed and terrified. I can’t see my little man because the giant is too big lying on top of him. In an instant, I panic. And the mama knee-jerk freak within sparks. And in that flashing second of trauma…a vision appears.

One skinny little arm shot out into the air straight toward the sky from underneath the rubble… holding the red flag!

From the impact and collision of this two hundred pound boy, my son had gone for and grabbed the flag. As he was being pummeled to the GROUND, my kid grabbed the flippin’ flag!!!

I believe the angels sang and the heavens opened that very instant. Or at least they should have…

Because also at that moment, I saw the big picture, and although it was ALL about my son that day. It was becoming much more about me in seeing this scene play out.

Here’s why:

Who here feels they are under a big pile of rubble? Who here feels small and weak? Who here sees the giant running right at you? Who here tackles that giant, risking the impact of heavy weight crashing down hard on you? Who here goes forward with confidence in knowing you can try to capture that flag even though the chances are pretty slim? Who here plays the game hard and gives it your all? Who is afraid of that giant in your life? Who can say that with all the pressures of life surrounding you… you still rise with the flag?

Don’t we all lie flat under the heavy rubble of life sometimes? Work weight. Family weight. Health weight. Marriage weight. Kids weight. My weight. Your weight. Any weight!

Life.

But I guess the challenge is to raise our flags…even under the weight of it all.

Who can claim their flag? Can you raise your red flag with an AMEN!?

Or are you still under the rubble hurting and weak? Been there.

My son had in his little 6-year-old mind, that he was going after that flag even if it meant he was going to get grounded by 237 pounds of flesh running 45 miles per hour at him. Wow.

Comments

I LOVE the writing you did here. I love the little journey I just went on. Yes! I am in a pile of rubble and there are times it feels like a 250lb man has slammed into me but I grab that flag as he does. I keep raising it. 🙂 I’m going to remember this story this week as the homecoming stress bogs me down. Great writing, Chris!

Funny, you were one of the women I was thinking of when I wrote this! There were a few hundred more too, but YOU were fresh on my mind dear friend!!! Hold on to that flag through this week honey! Think of the memories Nico will always have… 🙂

Oh thank you SO much Lynn!!! So good to know church has backed my message up!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! No, seriously, I am so glad you get what I was trying to say through this winding story!! SO much joy from encouraging you!!! 🙂

Yes, but you forgot to mention what went on under the massive beast pile up!! I was throwing (hidden from the refs view) elbows and knees at all the “important” parts…I beat the crap outta the kid as I emerged! HA!! I may have the flag, but I sure gotta fight for it!! I think I may have even keyed his parents car in the parking lot! You, know I speak figuratively…right?…Chris, put down the phone, no need to call the cops…Chris, Chris?…

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! “911…What is your emergency??? Um, hi. Can I have a car go to my friend’s house immediately? I think she’s uh….LOSING IT!!! You might want to bring some restraints…” LOVE your input and addition to the story!!! I TOTALLY should have included that part!!! 😉

Great blog! I choked up for Cade! I even knew the end and you had me choked up…I am so proud of anyone’s perserverance during difficulty. Godly perserverance has a special attraction and power to it; David and his Goliath come to mind, Moses, Joseph, Nehemiah…because there will always be a Goliath to face and often the crushing weight will fall right on us, but we serve a very big and very wonderful God who just happens to be bigger and stronger than ANY Goliath. If we seek to follow Him, we will emerge with the flag, even if God,Himself, has to put it in our crushed fingers and hold our hand around it while He raises it Heavenward!

Oh how I love how you so beautifully put GOD’S perspective on this!!! I always have to resist the urge to “preach it”… so I am grateful for you stepping in to fulfill what is intended!! PREACH IT SISTER!!!!! I had to delete the whole NINJA MOM paragraph for fear of it going on too long!!! MUST create another article that will involve that story!!! Cause, it’s just too good NOT to share!!! 😉

OH my! I can’t imagine your son under the weight of the really BIG guys!!! Praying you find your way through the rubble to raise your flag dear friend! Thanks for reading and commenting!!! Will be praying for you…

Love this blog – not only because I can envision Cade – and the picture is so cute!! But moreso because I like the comments afterwards. I have often felt the weight of the rubble – and it can get overburdensome – but just like Cade raised his flag… with the help of our God and faith – we can each raise that flag to whatever burden we’re facing each day. Sometimes for me, that flag has had to be a surrender flag – an “I give up” flag – where I’ve asked my maker to take the burden from me…
Ah – Bless sweet little Cade he is a giant among men – for his heart and determination!!! Love you sister…

Aw thanks so much sister!!! I TOTALLY agree with the “surrender flag” and I almost wrote about that as well!!! Yes, the give it to your maker flag should be waved high and mighty often!!! I know you have had oh so many rubbles to rise out of and hold your flag! It was a great moment for Cade…and for me. 🙂

That is the cutest picture EVER!!!!! Man if his determination in sports plays out the same way in life, he is going far baby!!!!! Even though he was triumphant in that moment, it totally made me think of surrendering to our God when life ‘piles’ onto us. I just picture myself raising that flag saying ‘help! I can’t do this without you!’ and finally relinquishing that control and calling Jesus over to take the rubble off me. I just love that image of Cade under that kid 3x his size with his little hand up in the air holding that flag, so great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It was quite a moment! Oh yes sister, I hear ya on that one! Amen to giving it to Him and letting Him take that rubble off one painful piece at a time! Sometimes it is really, really hard to do that though! And sometimes…it’s very, very easy. Especially when you surrender with the white flag and realize His hands are just so much stronger and your rubble is just too heavy. 🙂

My kids are both itty bitty, and always the smallest on their sports teams. I worry about them so much, especially my daughter…who is the flyer for her cheer team. I have felt the mommy panic many times! But sometimes the little ones are the most determined. I always feel like I want some of their determination!

The outcome couldn’t have been better if it was taken from a movie. I was right there with you, at the threshold of panic with you, but that little hand holding the flag..wow! Great post. Thank you for this.

ANGIE!!!!! WOOHOO!!! YOU’RE HERE!!! lol 😉 Thanks so much hun! I had fun writing that one… I still can vividly remember how it played out. You know how some things stick in our memories of our kids? That one sticks.

Found you through link on dose girls! What a great post and analogy of life. I spend so much time at the side of a sports field (usually soccer) and find so many life lessons there! It is so true how buried we can get – but we need to hold that flag high!

Thanks SO much for stopping by to read this Kim!! It was quite a moment for me… and that little skinny arm reaching up with the flag got to me in an instant! The vision was inspiring, because of it’s deeper meaning to us all. 🙂

I loved this the first time I read it and it’s a great reminder right now. You know what I am talking about, my friend and I thank you for helping me get the giant off of me or at the very least, helping me grab the flag. 🙂

And everything the Dose Girls said, I second. You are an AMAZING friend and I just love you from the moon and back. 🙂

I hate that it’s taken me this long to reply Elizabeth!!! I am SO thrilled that you found me through the Dose Girls!! I will absolutely be stopping by to say hello SOON!!! I love love love meeting new friends! 🙂

The Dose girls sent me over here,and I am so happy they did! I am so pumped and motivated by this post! I just shared it on twitter, thank you for sharing the story of your son and his game. You must have been insanely proud. What a great post!

Oh Nellie, I am just so grateful you shared it!!! I love the Dose Girls so much and I am so honored they shared this post. Forgive me for just now getting back to you! Geesh. I promise to stop by SOON!!

OH I am just SO excited you made your way over here Tamara!!! Thank you so much for sharing this and connecting with me! I am THRILLED we are now friends and you KNOW I am already falling in love with you!!! 😉

Coming from the Dose girls pad and I am so glad I did. Life itself has been anything but lightweight on us lately. Seems like we deal with one thing after another and I am not even having time to get up and breathe.. I needed this reminder.

Oh how glad I am that you stopped by!! I have so been there… and I pray by this time you are feeling the burden of your “rubble” lessen. I will stop by and check in SOON!! (SO sorry it took this long to respond!!!)

I feel all kinds of inspired and excited for your son, too (That was a pretty awesome feat!). So glad The Dose Gals sent me over here. 🙂 Amazing, wonderful, thought-provoking and oh-so-inspiring story worth the read. Thank you for sharing. I know I feel like I can conquer the world now…and I know that was the point. Eyes on the prize.

I am stopping by from the Dose Girls, and I’m glad I did.
You know I used to be that little guy in high school. Literally (well except the boy part)! I played soccer on the boys’ team. I went after the ball no matter what. I got plowed into and knocked down, but still I got up. Don’t know what happened to that fire ball, but I don’t feel that way anymore. This is a good reminder I need to go find her and reclaim her!

Oh how I hope you DID go find her and RECLAIM her Rabia!!! You already ARE that little warrior on the field… you just lost touch with that part of you.
It’s in there somewhere, my friend! RAISE YOUR FLAG!!!!!

You just took me on a journey to get the flag!
Inspiring story..i think children are stronger than us sometimes and I guess that comes from them not really knowing the consequences or not really thinking too much about it.

Heck YES we think too much!! Knowledge simply sucks sometimes, doesn’t it? 😉
There is something about innocence that always inspires me to trust more and more and not focus on the “what ifs”. Set our sights high and the strength will come!! That’s what I tell myself, anyway.

This is such an aspiring post to start the day! And so timely too. I was starting to feel buried under my own rubble, but now I feel empowered to take it on. I’m so glad the Dose Girls sent me over here today!

So inspiring! Thank you. Just what I needed today after last night’s Bible study on temptation. I must say I’m feeling pretty tempted to lay under the rubble this week, but God knows what I need and He’s delivered (again)! Thanks for being the messenger!

Thanks SO much Mo. It really has so much meaning and continues to resonate in me every time I feel under that “rubble” of life. I sure hope you take it’s meaning to heart, my friend and grab that FLAG! XO 😉

Oh, swoon! You wrote this before I knew you – although I don’t even feel like there was a time I didn’t know you. I want to grab that flag, hon, and with you by my side, I know that giant doesn’t have a chance. I love you and I love what the Dose Girls say about you on their page. You are all that and more. xo

Oh Ilene… can I just RUN (my butt off- and then hitch hike) right NOW and make it down there to simply hug you for about an hour? Like seriously- I won’t let go. It might get sweaty and awkward, but I have waaaaaay too much hugging to do!!!

Had to stop by when I saw this on the Dose Girls this morning and you know I agree with them that you are the best and this post is truly a testament as to why you are indeed the absolute best mom and person, too. Love you, Chris!!! 🙂

AW!!!! Thanks SOOOOOO MUCH Janine!!! It’s SO exciting to see this post be shared again after two years. It’s still one of my faves… the message is timeless really, isn’t it? 🙂 You’re such a love for coming by to read it!!

Beautifully said. What an awesome lesson you found in that moment. Thank you for sharing it with us.

I’ve spent a lot of time under various piles of rubble. I’m fighting one now. I’m going to totally keep this in mind and make every effort to raise the flag anyway, even if someone else has to pick me up and carry me off the field afterward.

Oh my gosh I love this story!! (I found you through the Dose girls, and they’re never wrong about awesome blogs!) I guess my rubble right now is trying out the Primal diet. It’s hard in the beginning but i intend to keep my eye on the flag, so to speak 🙂